The History Of Jigsaw Puzzles Part 1

By Author: Razvan Jr
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The first signs of the jigsaw puzzle are dated back to the 1700s when the European map makers dissected maps. These were the rudimentary jigsaw puzzles that we know in the present. John Spilsbury, who was a London map maker, is considered to be the first person in the world who created the very first puzzle from a map of Europe that was cut along the country boundary lines.

Later in the 1880s, the jigsaw puzzle moved forward with the treadle saw which permitted the dissection to be officially known as a jigsaw puzzle. Around the end of the 19th century, plywood was used in order to make jigsaw puzzles. The illustrations were painted or glued on the front of the wood and the pencil tracings of where to cut were made on the back of it. Such pencil tracings can still be spotted on some of the oldest puzzles that resisted the test of time. The cardboard puzzles were introduced in the last part of the 19th century.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the wooden jigsaw puzzles that had challenging cuts were introduced. Such models were very expensive at that time and did not interlock. A little bit later, interlocking ...
... was available, which made the jigsaws less likely to be ruined. Such puzzles were very difficult because they were cut along the color lines.

Later on in the 20th century, the jigsaw puzzle became die cut which means that a lattice of thin metal strips arrange in the puzzle cut. The jigsaw cardboard and the die were passed through a press which resulted in a traditional jigsaw puzzle. The cardboard board of course had already a picture that was prior glued to it. This innovation literally changed the history of the jigsaw puzzles because now these items could from now on be manufactured in larger quantities. By 1930, the jigsaw puzzle was very popular and many marketers of such products came up with very interesting and attractive designs.

Another reason for why the jigsaw puzzles were a hit during those times is because they were the most affordable way to have a good time during the hard years of the depression. More than that, people that could not purchase them had the possibility to rent them for a limited amount of time. Once the cardboard puzzles were introduced, they became an instant hit as they were very cheap. Some of these models had advertising in them. The request for customized wooden puzzles did not go down, and many models were sold without the helping picture on the puzzle's box.

After the World War 2 ended, the popularity of jigsaw puzzles reached even higher levels despite the fact that their prices went up because of the rising wages which raised the price of wooden puzzles. During this period, a man by the name of Stave Puzzles revolutionized the domain with his original artwork, and special designs that re-established the market for luxury jigsaw puzzles, attracting other manufacturers.

Join us for the second part of the article where we will be offering information about the most important manufacturers of jigsaw puzzles as well as information about artists, modern puzzles and why such products are popular even today in the era of the Internet.

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